According to Coach Amber, an AmeriCorps member and Playworks program coordinator at the Lee Academy Pilot School in Dorchester, "every day is a...
Stories of Play
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The Power of Play
From The Field
Playworks served with Habitat For Humanity on the National Day of Service to help repaint houses and build a fence around an East Oakland low-...
Every day of the school year, Playworks staff and volunteers bring safe, healthy and inclusive play to kids on the playground and beyond. They get to know every student at the school, forming special bonds through play and becoming an important member of the school “family.”
Here are just a few examples of both Playworks coaches experiences and how our staff and volunteers affect children and the school community.
If you want to share your story, you can "Give Us a Hand" by emailing Playworks CEO & Founder Jill Vialet at highfive@playworks.org.
With about 300 kids out on the pavement playground at a time, recess at Burbank Elementary in Hayward, California was “scary.”Michelle Barron
Silicon Valley
I love my job and I love my school! I’ve seen the difference Playworks can make and I just want to be a part of expanding that impact for more kids.
What I do with the kids every day really helps them - both in school and in life.
Brad Riley
Washington, D.C.
Last year I had a student, Clinton, who was pretty challenging. He had some attitude issues, and was constantly put on the fence by his teachers because of something he did in class or at lunch. He could be disrespectful to other kids, didn’t want to participate in games and was hard to get through to. He had some discipline problems, and I was sometimes asked to take him out of class to talk with him.
Julia Sayles
Boston
As a Playworks coach I not only get to teach kids new games and how to play, I also get to introduce important social skills that will benefit them in all aspects of life.
Here’s an example…
Jaelen was a special needs first grader I had the privilege of meeting last year. I would be lying if I said we hit it off right away.
Hong Thach
Oakland
I love my job, mostly because I get to do something everyday that has a very real positive impact on the kids at my school.
For example, two years ago, Hui Bin came to America as a new immigrant. He spoke no English, as his primary language is Cantonese. Those first few weeks at Lincoln Elementary were a difficult time for Hui Bin. During recess time, he would either sit or walk alone and not interact at all with the other kids.
Tanisha Bowden
Baltimore
Being a coach has really changed my life.
When I first got to Wolfe Street Academy, the kids hadn’t had any organized physical activity for two years. That first week, Kwan-tay didn’t want to join in the organized playground games I was offering. Even though he was very athletic, no one had taken the time to teach him how to play these games. Nearly everyday after lunch he ended up in the principal’s office for disrupting other students’ games or being involved in fights.
